Better Recognition of Childhood Brain Injury in Maine Needed
Originally published in Bangor Daily News on March 5, 2024.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month in the United States. From CDC data, more than 3,000 children experience a brain injury in Maine each year, making childhood brain injury a chronic, public health crisis warranting the public’s awareness to better support individuals living with a childhood brain injury.
Most (about 80 percent) of brain injuries are considered mild or “concussions.” A brain injury of any severity can have chronic, persistent impacts on an individual’s life. Yet, every brain injury is unique in how and for how long it impacts a person. For children, experiencing a brain injury can change development and learning years after the injury. Therefore, health and educational professionals and even caregivers might not link the child’s difficulties back to their brain injury.